Children of God
Dave spoke last Sunday about the fact that we are children of God now (1 John 3:1-3). This is not just a future aspiration for us all, but is something which utterly transforms our way of thinking and living. John, writing this letter towards the end of his life, has preached, taught and encouraged Christians for well over half a century, but writes once again with passion and emotion as he stops to ponder the love of the Father
A right vision of God is essential if we are to live as He wants us to live, secure in the love He has for us. Being born of God and understanding what this means is essential to us.
1. The Nature of True Conversion & Spiritual Life
John emphasises that conversion begins when we are born of God and thus become children of God (see also John 3:1-16). Being a child of God is not simply a label for us to wear (the way we may be proud of being from Yorkshire, for example), but a daily, living truth: God’s seed impregnating our life with the very life of God. This is something that should cause us to gaze in wonder and awe at God!
2. Seeing and Loving Jesus is Related To Holiness
Whilst the world doesn’t understand who we are and how we live, the fact we have seen the beauty and wonder of God in the face of Jesus Christ radically changes how we live. Full holiness may not be available until we see Jesus as He is (1 John 3:2), but the more we gaze on Jesus, the more we are changed into His likeness. Our desires change (see 1 John 2:15-17) and the fleeting pleasures of sin become more pathetic in our eyes. The vision of Jesus removes our gullibility and transforms us (2 Cor 3:18).
3. The Transformation Begins Now!
John reminds us we have a hope of being like Jesus which becomes our focus throughout life. When we are with Jesus, we will no longer have to live with our spiritual weaknesses and compromises, drawn to the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes and the pride in our possessions. We will be completely satisfied and gloriously happy, but it’s hypocritical to pretend that this is our ultimate desire if we do not want to be like Jesus now as well. We have to set our lives in the direction of being like Christ now with growing anticipation. As we fix our eyes not only on a better world but being a better person, we realise that the fact we are children of God now (not just in the future) transforms our daily living here on earth. What we are determines what we become!
Body Language
Body language (non-verbal communication) is said to make up 55% of communication; it often speaks louder than words. Our body language communicates far more than we realise. When we are hurried and harassed, we tend to continue doing things and avoid eye contact with the person speaking to us, telling them that we are too busy for them and communicating to them a sense that they don’t really matter to us. When we are ashamed or feel guilty with someone, our posture usually becomes shrunken (hunched shoulders, head down) and again, eye contact is avoided lest the other person sees our true feelings reflected in our eyes (‘the mirrors of the soul’). When we are glad to see someone, our eyes light up and our arms are opened wide in a welcoming hug, communicating gladness and welcome, worth and value.
In the recent performance of ‘Fisherman’s Tail’, the actor playing Simon Peter used body language to great effect to communicate Simon’s feelings. When Simon first encounters Jesus’ miraculous powers and he recognises his own sinfulness and Jesus’ greatness, Simon fell face-down before Jesus, communicating his smallness in the face of God’s greatness. In the scenes depicting Simon’s denial of Jesus, his avoidance of eye contact with his interlocutors and his huddled posture confirmed his unease and divided loyalties. When Simon recognised Jesus on the shore after the resurrection, he ran to him with outstretched arms shouting ‘Jesus!’ and enveloping him in a bear hug. In the scene after the resurrection when Jesus asks him three times ‘Do you love me?’, his posture was studied indifference: eyes fixed on his fingernails, avoiding looking at Jesus because he feared rejection at first, only on the third question raising his eyes to look directly at Jesus and finding in His eyes not rejection but acceptance and forgiveness.
Our body language is more innate and unconscious than our words. I’m just seeing the first smiles from my youngest granddaughter at three months old as she learns to mirror the expressions around her; it will be many more months before she learn to speak. Similarly, our body language cannot really hide our true feelings, whatever our words say. The author Jeffrey Deaver has had huge success with his investigator Kathryn Dance, an expert in kinesics (the study of the way in which certain body movements and gestures serve as a form of non-verbal communication.) precisely because she can interpret what is not said as effectively as what is!
Worship involves the whole body as well as our words. We bow down in awe before God, like Simon Peter, to indicate our unworthiness and His greatness:
We lift our hands hight to God to indicate our openness to His greatness:
We hold our hands out to Him to indicate our willingness to empty ourselves to receive from Him.
We clap to indicate our approval of His magnificent deeds; we dance in His presence as joy grips our heart.
Hunched, indifferent, unresponsive worship communicates a lack of respect and a lack of awe. We need our body language to match our words and thus we become whole people.
Meeting the Community
We had fun today at Carrfield Primary School’s family picnic chatting with families about the work we do as Dearne Churches Together and listening to people’s stories. The picnic was held in the big field behind the school and reminded me a little of what it must have been like when all the people gathered to hear Jesus preach. We didn’t have to feed anyone as everyone brought their own picnics, but it was lovely to connect with so many local families.
The ‘Churches Together’ banner and literature about us:
Chatting with people:
July birthdays
We didn’t have any more June birthdays to celebrate, but we looked ahead to two July birthdays tonight!
The Tamarisk Tree
To plant a tree, they say, is to believe in tomorrow. This is because a tree doesn’t grow overnight. Just recently I had the privilege of visiting Phoenix Park in Thurnscoe and seeing some of the trees which were planted about twenty-five years ago when the former pit site was made into a park and conservation area. It was amazing to see the growth which had occurred from those tiny saplings planted by schoolchildren, but it didn’t happen overnight. Growth often takes time.
In Genesis 21:33 we read ‘Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Eternal God.‘ I believe this is a significant verse, showing us Abraham’s commitment to a specific place, showing us his understanding of the covenant promises of God and showing us a fresh revelation of the eternal, everlasting nature of God.
I believe God wants us to love where we live, to be committed to our church and our community, to serve Him faithfully in the specific locations to which He has called us. This is not an overnight project, but a steady, ongoing commitment where we learn faithfulness because of God’s faithfulness and where we learn to serve Him willingly and gladly as we seek to reach our community with His love.
The very word ‘Beersheba’ speaks to us of wells (Beer means well), of perfection (‘the well of seven’) and of promises (‘the well of the oath’.) The fact that Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in that place is significant. What trees are we planting in our area? What are we doing that will have eternal consequences in our communities? I am always humbled by the fact that my grandfather, whom I never really knew as he died when I was only three months old, served God faithfully at Furlong Road Methodist Church in Bolton-on-Dearne for many years. I believe I reap what he sowed and that as I seek to sow faith and hope into this community, others will reap the benefits. Let’s plant our trees and serve God faithfully where we are, secure in the knowledge that we serve an eternal God.
Beersheba: The Well of the Oath
In our series ‘The Wells of Salvation’, we continued looking at the well at Beersheba and its role in the life of Abraham (Gen 21:22-34). This might seem an unusual story – the treaty two men made so long ago can surely have little relevance to us today, we think – but the way Abraham and Abimelek react and deal with their dispute about a well has much to teach us today.
Conduct
Abraham’s conduct towards Abimelek was not always honest (he lied to him about Sarah, Gen 20:1-18). Abimelek’s servants did not treat Abraham fairly, seizing back control of this well when Abimelek had given Abraham permission to be in the land. When the matter is brought to Abimelek’s attention, the matter is resolved amicably and Abraham makes a treaty with him to protect his rights to the well. This reminds us that God is interested in how we live our daily lives and wants us to live at peace with others, loving them above and beyond the call of duty. (Rom 12:18, Matt 5:9, Matt 5:28-32). We are urged to take the initiative in reconciliation (Matt 5:23-24) and to be people whose lives call forth praise to God (‘in the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.‘ Matt 5:16)
Covenant & Commitment
Abimelek asked, ‘What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?’ (Gen 21:29) Abraham’s reply was, ‘Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well.’ (Gen 21:30) This covenant publicly acknowledged Abraham’s right to the well and therefore his continued business activity in the region. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree here as well (Gen 21:33), a further sign that he was committed to the area.
